Leffe Brune

Leffe Brune
750ml 6,5%
InBev Belgium

Called an abbey dubbel by rate beer, this big bottle was the second of the beers I got from my boss for my birthday. Marketed as a traditional abbey beer, the brewery is of course not belonging to the poor monks like e.g. the Trappistes but to InBev. (Which reminds me that I should buy some stocks from the folks ...)

Ratebeer gives it a 91 which I guess is good. (As I mentioned last time I seriously cba to try to understand their rating system...) I remember being ambivalent about the last Leffe I had (Yeah, the one that I ended writing about twice...) But I do like my beers dark and / or in this case brown. So we shall see.

I decided against a Trappist Glass just for the fact that well.. this isn't a trappist beer.. :P So instead my good old Widmer Brothers glass shall be put to usage again. It's a wide tulip and I do like it, especially for darker beers.

The bottle is a big good old champagne style bottle with cork.. something that always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. (Though I know that the cork harvesting is bad and stuff)

It pours nice and easy, no oily qualities like some beers, and I really like the foam. It forms a nice medium to pig pored head that doesn't dissipate too quickly.

Leffe Brune is dark brown, almost Walnut and holds some red tones.
It emanates a very fruity warm smell, that can be smelled even when being further away.
On a closer nosed examination, I find fruity, marzipan tones with hints of wood. The yeast can be guessed but isn't taking over all the olfactory sensation like in other beers. Indeed very appealing, fruity.

The carbonation is harsh if not too strong for me, as it allows me to almost not taste anything else at first... almost stings my tongue, then it makes room for very warm bread tones with a really nice malty aftertaste. It is bitter but not too much, although enough that I know that my mum will not like it. It gives a very nice composition of fruit and bitterness, though the malty bitterness prevails.
Definitely a great beer!
Thanks Nathalie!

Prost!

DMW